Emily Mester’s Latest Book, ‘American Bulk: Essays on Excess,’ Ushers in a New Perspective on Consumerism

Let’s face it: Most of us own entirely too much stuff, yet the desire to buy more, more, and more can be difficult to quell. It’s precisely this tension that lies at the heart of writer Emily Mester’s new book American Bulk: Essays on Excess, a dryly witty and deeply thoughtful essay collection that delves into everything from the bulk-buying psychology that powers Costco’s popularity to what it’s like to work seasonal shifts at Ulta Beauty.

Vogue spoke to Mester about the inspiration behind American Bulk, mishearing Addison Rae lyrics in a particularly instructive way, and the one product she’ll never get rid of. Read the interview below.

Vogue: How did the idea for this book come together for you?

Emily Mester: In grad school, I needed an essay to write, and I was like, well, I certainly have spent a lot of time at Costco; I must have thoughts about it. But I didn’t quite know what the thoughts were, so I actually had my friend Dan walk through Costco with me, and I just pointed out to him everything that struck me as odd, particularly when viewed through a non-Costco person’s eyes. Like, “Isn’t it weird that they blister-pack that one jar of spices?” Or, “Isn’t it crazy that that the hot dog hasn’t changed price?” It felt like doing a guided tour of my hometown. It was really going to mostly be about my thoughts on Costco and what it meant to be a Costco shopper, but then quickly I was like, well, I know a Costco shopper, and it’s my dad, and I cannot write this without writing about my family. So the piece became about both of those things. And then I realized I wanted to write about more stores, and that writing about more stores also had to definitely involve my family. And so then it became a book. I came up with the Costco essay, and then the title, and then everything else came after that.

Do you have any Costco hacks you’re willing to share?

I don’t go a ton anymore, but I do feel like it still is really good for certain things. I think my hack would be, if there is a thing that you want, it is always worth checking whether Costco has it; they will surprise you. They have been known to sell La Mer, they sell jewelry at reasonable prices…I posted about this, but Addison Rae’s song “Diet Pepsi” has a line that’s like, “My boy’s a winner, he loves the game. My lips reflect off his cross gold chain,” and I thought she was saying “Costco chain.” I still love the song regardless, but I thought it was brilliant, because I was like, wow, this, like, suburbanized machismo that she’s speaking to…it is smart to get your chain at Costco, because they have great deals, but it also is undeniably less sexy than getting it at a jewelry store. And then I realized she was just saying “cross-gold chain.”